Growing Again!

We are thrilled! Today we’re officially adding four new colleges and universities to the consortium that have met the criteria and gone through the institution-wide selection process to receive the Changemaker Campus designation. Congratulations and welcome to Brigham Young University, Brown University, Portland State University, and Rollins College!

Student working through the Ballard Center at BYU

This cohort of four diverse institutions join a consortium of 15 Changemaker Campuses already selected for their institutional commitment to positive social and environmental impact and innovative programs that develop students as changemakers.

To receive the Changemaker Campus designation, BYU, Brown, PSU, and Rollins have gone through a rigorous selection process over many months, during which change teams showcase all things changemaking at their respective institutions.

PSU’s Social Enterprise Field Study Program in India

The selection process included a campus portfolio application; Ashoka U interviews with faculty, administrators, staff, and students; a campus site visit; as well as a final selection panel composed of leaders in social innovation and higher education. Check out this year’s Changemaker Campus selection panel.

Once colleges and universities join the consortium, our goal is for Ashoka U to serve as accelerator, thought partner and convener to support Changemaker Campuses in reaching their institutional goals, to facilitate best-practice sharing across the consortium, and to connect Changemaker Campuses to collaborative projects with Ashoka programs and leading social entrepreneurs in the field.

In partnership with Changemaker Campuses and many, many others, we’re well on our way to building a diverse field of social entrepreneurship education consisting of a wide variety of different institutional types, sizes, and geographic locations with impressive initiatives and results. That’s our response to higher education’s crisis of relevance: demonstrating that an innovative, entrepreneurial, and world-changing higher education sector is possible, and showcasing effective and replicable models for any college or university to adopt.

Participate today!

Over the next few weeks, we will feature each of the new Changemaker Campuses and the innovative programs that they’ve built. In the meantime, read about Changemaker Campus Day at Rollins College and celebrate and connect with campuses that foster and promote creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship by hosting an Ice Cream Social Innovation today. (Thanks to the Middlebury College Changemaker Campus team for this brilliant initiative!) Here’s how: